Audition Information Packet For the Class of 2018 The Academy for Performing Arts is an innovative four year high school where students spend their senior year at Kean University Students are immersed in honors level academics while training in theater or dance in a preprofessional artistic setting. APA fosters the discipline, integrity and passion necessary for students to succeed at the post-secondary level and as members of the performing arts community. Union County Vocational Technical Schools 1776 Raritan Road Scotch Plains, NJ 07076
Auditions Class of 2018 Saturday, February 22, 2014 To be held at: Union County Vocational Technical Schools Academy For Performing Arts 1776 Raritan Road, Scotch Plains NJ 07076 January 2014 Dear Applicant and Family, This Packet will guide both potential Dance and Theatre majors through the audition process for the class of 2018, to be held on Saturday, February 22, 2014 at the UCVTS Academy for Performing Arts Building. Auditions are by invitation only. To qualify for an audition opportunity, the applicant must first have passed the academic entrance examination. While applicants MAY audition for both Dance and Theatre programs, admission can only be accepted to one. An overview of the Admission Process: Saturday, January 25, 2014 Admissions Exam at Union County Vocational-Technical Schools On or About February 3, 2014 Notification of Academically Qualified Applicants/ Scheduling of Audition Slots Saturday, February 22, 2014 Program Auditions at UCVTS Academy for Performing Arts On or about March 15 2014 Notification via mail of Admission Results May, 2014 Placement Test; Class of 2018 June 2014 School Year Informational Mailing End of August 2014 Class of 2018 Orientation September 2014 Classes Begin! Good luck, and we hope to see you in September! Scott Rubin, UCAPA Principal (908) 889-8288 x 700
THEATRE PROGRAM AUDITIONS When contacted by our admissions officers, applicants will be scheduled into audition time slots. During their appointment time, applicants will take part in a group warm-up and perform a short monologue from memory to our panel of adjudicators in a private session. Monologues must be chosen from the UCAPA Monologue Bank. Please use the rubric included in this packet to prepare, and be sure to consult our tips below. Monologues will be performed once, then applicant will be given direction from one of the adjudicators. Applicant will then perform the monologue for a second time, applying the direction that was given to them. Registration Parents/guardians are asked to drop off their children promptly at the time assigned. When they arrive, students will be asked to sign-in and have a digital photo taken. Since all audition sessions are closed to the public, parents/guardians should arrange to pick up their children at the conclusion of the session. Group Theatre Exercises Applicants will participate in a group warm-up session, which will consist of theatre exercises and improvisation. The session will not be judged as part of the audition. Tips for monologues: Use only approved monologues from the provided list. The plays from which these monologues are taken are readily available on Amazon.com or at your local bookstore or library. Please read the whole play in order to best understand your character. Make sure that your monologue is memorized. Focus on your character s objective (what they want) in the monologue. Make changes to your monologue based on the direction that was given to you by the adjudicators. The adjudicators are looking to see if you can take direction and are willing to make a choice and take a risk. Please do not bring any additional furniture, props, costume, sound or lighting equipment. A chair will be made available upon request. UCAPA has a strongly enforced dress code that students are required to follow in auditions and all theatre classes. Students should be dressed in neat, professional looking attire that permits freedom of movement. The following items are not permitted: Baggy sweat pants, shorts, big shirts, hats, head scarves, dangling jewelry, large earrings, high heeled shoes, chewing gum or snacks. Water bottles in plastic containers are acceptable. Please do not bring resumes, headshots or letters of recommendation.
Monologue Bank Theatre Auditions - Monologue Bank - February 2014 Male options George from Our Town by Thornton Wilder Emily, if I go away to State Agriculture College next year, will you write me a letter once in a while? The day wouldn t come when I wouldn t want to know everything that s happening here. Y know. Emily, whenever I meet a farmer I ask him if he thinks it s important to go to Agriculture School to be a good farmer. Yeah, and some of them even say that it s a waste of time. You can get all those things, anyway, out of the pamphlets the government sends out. And Uncle Luke s getting old, -- he s about ready for me to start in taking over his farm tomorrow, if I could. And Like you said, being gone all that time in other places and meeting other people Gosh, if anything like that can happen I don t want to go away. I guess new people aren t any better than old ones. I bet they almost never are. Emily I feel you are as good a friend as I ve got. I don t need to go and meet the people in other towns. (After a pause, very seriously.) Emily, I m going to make up my mind right now. I won t go. I ll tell Pa about it tonight. Hansel from Hansel and Gretel adapted by Jean Marlow Don t cry Gretel. Father didn t mean to leave us all alone in the forest. I know he didn t please don t cry! See. I ve broken up the crust of bread he gave us and left a trail of crumbs leading all the way back home again. Think how happy he ll be when he finds us all tucked up and snug in our beds tomorrow morning. Look! The moon is coming up from behind the clouds and we can easily find our way back. See there are the breadcrumbs. They start from here and they go all along the path and Oh no! The trail has stopped Of course, the birds have eaten them up! There s only little bits left. And I simply can t remember the way back Never mind, father will come and find us very soon Don t worry, I ll look after you How beautiful everything looks in the moonlight.
Charlie Brown from You re a Good Man, Charlie Brown by Clark Gesner I think lunch time is about the worst time of the day for me. Always having to sit here alone...well, I guess I d better see what I ve got. Peanut butter. Some psychiatrists say that people who eat peanut butter sandwiches are lonely. I guess they re right. Boy, the PTA sure did a good job of painting these benches. There s that cute little redheaded girl eating her lunch over there. I wonder what she d do if I went over and asked her if I could sit and have lunch with her. She d probably laugh right in my face. It s hard on a face when it gets laughed in. There s an empty place next to her on the bench. There s no reason why I couldn t just go over and sit there. I could do that right now. All I have to do is stand up. I m standing up I m sitting down. I m a coward. I m so much of a coward she wouldn t even think of looking at me. She hardly ever does look at me. In fact, I can t remember her ever looking at me. Why shouldn t she look at me? Is she so great and am I so small that she couldn t spare one little moment just to.she s looking at me. She s looking at me! Female options Rose from Street Scene, by Elmer Rice Well, I haven't really had any time to do much thinking. But I really think the best thing I could do, would be to get out of New York. You know, like we were saying, this morning - how things might be different, if you only had a chance to breathe and spread out a little. I like you so much, Sam. I like you better than anybody I know. You're different from anybody I know. But I'm just wondering how it would work out. It's what you said just now - about people belonging to each other. I don't think people ought to belong to anybody but themselves. I was thinking, that if my mother had really belonged to herself, and that if my father had really belonged to himself, it never would have happened. It was only because they were always depending on somebody else, for what they ought to have had inside themselves. Do you see what I mean, Sam? That's why I don't want to belong to anybody, and why I don't want anybody to belong to me. I want love more than anything else in the world. But loving and belonging aren't the same thing. If we say good bye now, it doesn't mean that it has to be forever. Don't look as if it was the end of the world, Sam! Molly from Peter and the Starcatcher, stage adaptation written by Rick Elice You stop that right now. I won't answer any such question. You're inclining toward the sentimental and that's all well and good for a boy, but the fact is, we girls can't afford to be sentimental. We must instead be strong. And when I marry, my husband will have to -- Not you, you swot. Uch, the ego. (Starting again) And when I marry, I shall make it very clear to this PERSON -- that sentimentality is not on the calendar. He will have to lump it or leave it. And if he should leave, I'll stay a spinster and pin my hair back and volunteer weekends at hospital. And I will love words for the own sake, like "hyacinth" and "Piccadilly" and "onyx." And I'll have a good old dog, and think what I like, and be part of a different sort of family, with friends, you know? -- who understand that things are only worth what you're willing to give up for them.
Anne from The Diary of Anne Frank adapted by Francis Goodrich and Albert Hackett Look, Peter, the sky. What a lovely, lovely day. Aren t the clouds beautiful? You know what I do when it seems as if I couldn t stand being cooped up for one more minute? I think myself out. I think myself on a walk in the park where I used to go with Pim. You know the most wonderful thing about thinking yourself out? You can have it any way you like. I wish you had a religion, Peter. Oh, I don t mean you have to be Orthodox. I just mean some religion. It doesn t matter what. When I think of all that s out there, and the goodness of the people we know, all risking their lives for us every day, when I think of these good things, I m not afraid anymore. I know it s terrible, trying to have any faith, when people are doing such horrible things... But I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are really good at heart. Listen to us, going at each other like a couple of stupid grown-ups. Look at the sky now, isn t it lovely?
Number Monologue Rubric/Scoresheet CRITIERIA 0 Unacceptable 1 Beginning 2 Developing 3 Capable 4 Accomplished TOTAL Memorization No attempt at memorization; use of script needed Minimal memorization with numerous errors, disruptions or omissions Delivery of memorized text with several errors, disruptions or omissions Delivery of memorized text with minor errors, disruptions, or omissions Delivery of memorized text without errors, disruption or omissions Application of Vocal Technique Unaware of the need to use breath, diction, projection, rhythm, and vocal variety to create Ineffective use of breath, diction, projection, rhythm, and vocal variety to create character and/or Somewhat effective use of breath, diction, projection, rhythm, and vocal variety to create Effective use of breath, diction, projection, rhythm, and vocal variety to create Highly effective use of breath, diction, projection, rhythm, and vocal variety to create character and/or Application of Physical Expression Unaware of the need to use posture, gesture, movement and/or stillness to create Ineffective use of posture, gesture, movement, and/or stillness to create Somewhat effective use of posture, gesture, movement, and/or stillness to create character and/or Effective use of posture, gesture, movement, and/or stillness to create character and/or Highly effective use of posture, gesture, movement, and/or stillness to create Believability Unaware of the need to apply concentration and focus to create characterization and/or Rarely in character with appropriate use of concentration and focus Occasionally in character with appropriate use of concentration and focus Generally in character with appropriate use of concentration and focus Consistently in character with appropriate use of concentration and focus Goal of the Character Unaware of the need to show what character does to get what he/she wants Rarely shows what the character does to get what he/she wants Occasionally shows what the character does to get what he/she wants Generally shows what the character does to get what he/she wants Consistently shows what the character does to get what he/she wants. Comments: TOTAL SCORE
Adjudicator: DANCE PROGRAM AUDITIONS Applicants will be scheduled into audition time slots. During their appointment time, applicants will perform in a technique class consisting of Ballet, Modern, and Jazz. No special preparation will be needed for this class. Registration Parents/guardians are asked to drop off their children promptly at the time assigned. When they arrive, students will be asked to sign-in and have a digital photo taken. Since all audition sessions are closed to the public, parents/guardians should arrange to pick up their children at the conclusion of the session. Dress Code UCAPA has a strongly enforced dress code that students are required to follow in auditions and all dance classes. Students should be dressed in neat, form-fitting, professional looking attire. The following items are not permitted in class: Baggy sweat pants, shorts, big shirts, hats, head scarves, jewelry, chewing gum or snacks. Water bottles in plastic containers are acceptable. Girls: Boys: Long hair should be pulled back into a bun and pinned securely away from the face and neck. Leotard: Black Tights: Pink, convertible-style. Leg Warmers: Must be closely fitted so they do not roll down to the ankles. Shoes: Ballet shoes, preferably pink, and Jazz shoes without heels. Skirts and pointe shoes not required for the audition. Hair: Preferably kept short and neat. If long, pull it back securely into a pony tail. Top: White or Black fitted leotard or tank top (no graphics) tucked inside pants. Pants: Black fitted jazz pants or tights. Must stop at the ankle. Dance belt/supporter must be worn for audition, all dance classes and rehearsals. Shoes: Black ballet with white socks, and black jazz shoes preferred
Number 0 CRITERIA Unacceptable Unaware of proper Body Alignment/ body alignment Technical and Proficiency unable to demonstrate movement tasks. Focus/Projection Stage Presence Range of Dynamics, Movement Qualities Focus is inward and absent. Lacks all elements of stage presence. No awareness of dynamics or movement qualities 1 Basic Little or no understanding of proper body alignment and movement tasks. Focus is frequently absent. Minimal ability to demonstrate stage presence Demonstrates minimal range of dynamics and movement qualities Dance Rubric/Scoresheet 2 Developing Occasional application of proper body alignment with underdeveloped sense of movement tasks. Focus integration is inconsistent. Occasionally demonstrates stage presence Developing to explore dynamics and movement qualities. 3 Competent Accurate sense of proper body placement and movement tasks. Focus is somewhat integrated with movement. Frequently demonstrates stage presence. Exhibits dynamics and movement qualities 4 Accomplished Highly developed sense and consistent application of proper body placement and movement tasks. Focus is consistently integrated with movement. Consistently demonstrates stage presence Projects an extensive range of dynamics and movement qualities TOTAL Ballet Ballet Modern Integration of Whole Body Movement and Center of Weight Distribution Musicality/ Rhythmic Acuity Consistency of Style/ Interpretation Ability to Retain and Recreate Movement Phrase. Comments: Lacks understanding of whole body movement and inability to use center and weight distribution. No sense or concern for phrasing, rhythm or music. Does not incorporate style, personality or artistic interpretation. Unable to retain or recreate any part of the movement phrase. Slight understanding of whole body movement. Sporadic use of center and weight distribution Phrasing lacks clarity and rhythm while music awareness is inconsistent. Displays little sense of style and personality and lacks artistic interpretation. Demonstrates minimal ability in retaining or recreating the movement phrase. Displays an underdeveloped sense of whole body movement with limited use of center and weight distribution. Phrasing needs improvement, struggles with rhythm while counts are sometimes correct. Displays an underdeveloped sense of style and personality and occasionally explores artistic interpretation. Retains and recreates basic idea of movement phrase. Shows consistent sensitivity of whole body movement and effective use of center and weight distribution. Displays good sense of rhythm and phrasing and counts are fairly correct. Often performs with style and personality with positive attempts in exploring artistic interpretation. Demonstrates good ability in retaining and recreating movement phrases. Demonstrates a refined integration of whole body movement with a fluent use of center and weight distribution. Excellent sense of rhythm and phrasing while counts are correct and precise. Consistently performs with style and personality while successfully exploring artistic interpretation. Retains and recreates movement phrases with details. TOTAL SCORE Modern Jazz Jazz General
Adjudicator: Date: